


Hello Little Butterfly

by SairenHaria



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Some major character death!, also probably chloe redemption arc?, at least marinette doesn't hate her so much, it doesn't really stick though, not even chloe, seriously no one is getting out of here without angst, welcome to the angst train
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-07-28 22:11:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7658704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SairenHaria/pseuds/SairenHaria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stoneheart was never purified, but instead released by Hawk Moth himself when a civilian is killed, much to Tikki's confusion.</p>
<p>Nooroo can't bring back the dead. But sometimes with enough wishes and a little bit of help, he can find a loophole.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Better halfway than nothing at all

**Author's Note:**

> Fanfic is inspired by these two pictures: http://re-unknown.tumblr.com/post/144674148564/beautiful-lies-always-protect-the-lady-even-if and http://re-unknown.tumblr.com/post/143602852584/bye-bye-little-butterfly-always-protect-the-lady

The first day of school. The arrival of Stoneheart. Paris terrorized and in a state of panic. Above a bakery, a girl is opening a strange box.

Outside a mansion, a boy is running out his front door to see what's going on. In one scenario, he runs back to his room to watch the news. But in this one, he hurries to the gate, to see what's happened.

A short while later, a girl in red with black polka dots stands on a rooftop, staring down at the city street. There is a mansion just beyond a gate that's been crushed by a police vehicle.There is Ivan, surrounded by police, not trying to arrest him, but console him as he stays curled up in a ball. Saying something, but it's too far for her to hear. (Hear how he says he can't remember, he can't have done that, he never really wanted to hurt anyone.)

She sees the paramedics arrive and it's only then she notices it. The blood that's slowly seeping out from under the car and collapsed gate. She grabs her yo-yo, ready to leap down to help, to move the car, but she sees the police shaking their heads, watches how the paramedics slow, and she realizes the truth.

It's already far too late.

She hasn't even been a superhero an hour and someone was already dead.

When she returns home, she removes the earrings without hearing a word from Tikki. Not that Tikki could offer many. The Akuma had been released by it's master. It was too late for her to repair any damage. 

(Though the kwami wondered why they released the Akuma themselves.)

Marinette thought it was a sign. She wasn't meant to be a hero. Whoever chose her, chose wrong. Alya would be so much better for this. She had a strong sense of justice and wasn't afraid to stand up for herself and other people. She wouldn't have been too slow.

She found she had trouble sleeping that night, even with a plan of action. As in she couldn't sleep at all and eventually she gave up. The thought of eating only sickened her, and decided that it was better to just be early to school than worry her parents. It's probably the first time it's ever happened, for her to be there before anyone else. She almost preferred it today. She knew what would be on everyone's lips.

Ivan turned into a monster. Adrien Agreste, son of the Gabriel Agreste, had been killed in his rampage. Poor Ivan. Marinette had been in school with him for years and she knew he was a sweetheart underneath that gruff exterior. Even the few fights that did occur, he never hurt the other person that much and they usually did deserve the punch he gave them.

She wondered if he'd come to school today? She wouldn't blame him for skipping. She wanted to herself, but she's not sure she could explain why she was so affected by the death of a boy she didn't know, and she certainly didn't want to claim to be scared of Ivan. From what Tikki explained, it wasn't his fault.

He was corrupted. Just like others would be corrupted in the future. That's why there needed to be a hero.

She thought she couldn't be that hero.

But fate is a funny thing sometimes, in what can inspire people.

That day, with the school practically empty, Marinette goes to her class. Thinking maybe she'd try to take her seat back. Except when she opens the door, she sees she's not the first one there.  
Chloe is.

Marinette almost turns around, not willing to deal with Chloe, especially alone, today. Except then she hears it. The telltale sound of a sniffle. And that alone gives her pause because Chloe is sniffling? Chloe doesn't sniffle. Chloe bawls and wails and she makes sure everyone knows when she's upset with her fake crocodile tears. But this sound was small, soft, only noticeable in the quiet of the near empty room.

Marinette turns and takes in the sight that's before her.

Chloe Bourgeois was not sitting in Marinette's seat, but instead the one in front. The seat that had been empty the day before. She had her face down in her arms, shoulders shaking subtly, and her hair is an absolute mess by her standards. Not quite a rat's nest, but far from her usual perfect hairdo. Her outfit is different too, wearing a white over shirt instead of her usual yellow, and more than that, it was a boy's shirt, and too big for her petite frame.

This was not Chloe looking for sympathy or manipulating people.

Marinette is fairly sure she never even noticed her entering.

This was Chloe Bourgeois, terror and bully, in genuine despair.

Marinette doesn't know why. She couldn't even really guess what would affect Chloe so, and for all she detests the girl, she's not sure she could forgive herself to not try and comfort the girl.  
She closes the door behind her and locks it, to save the other some dignity, before moving to the desk and sitting down in Nino's seat.

Chloe sits up, startled, head whipping up to look at Marinette. She's not wearing make up. She's not wearing any make up AT ALL. Marinette would say that's a sign of the end of days if it wasn't so heart breaking that even Chloe could fall so low.

She scowls, but it lacks her usual venom, more defensive than anything. "What do you want, Dupain-Cheng? If you're here to make smart alack comments, I have no patience to hear it!"

Marinette wasn't sure what to say. What COULD she say to Chloe that she wouldn't take as insincere or a slight? After a moment, she reached into her bag and pulled out a baggy of cookies. She had intended to slip them in with the earrings for Tikki, but she's sure the kwami would understand. She pulled out a cookie and held it out to her.

"I don't eat sweets," Chloe said with a half hearted haughty tone.

Marinette shrugged and set down the cookie between them. "Sweets are a pretty good comfort food, you know."

Usually such a statement would earn a shot at her weight, but this time, Chloe decided against it. Instead, her eyes fell on the cookie, staring at it as a sheen started to cover them in unshed tears. "He loved sweets," she said softly after several minutes. She picked up the cookie, just looking at it. "He'd always tease me about not eating them, saying if he could eat whatever he wanted, he'd have cookies all the time. He was always like that. Always wanted what he could never have."

For a brief moment, Marinette had to wonder how someone so selfish could get this kind of reaction out of Chloe, except she continued, still in that soft voice.

"He wanted to be able to go out to the movies, the arcade, amusement parks, even the mall. He wanted to attend more functions with his father. He wanted to come over and play more. He wanted to go to school. It was just so...silly," she said, her voice cracking. "He'd bug me everytime we got to spend time together, to tell him about school. I'd tell him it was boring, that there weren't that many interesting people, but he'd always persist. I'd tell him about my day and that dork would look so excited to hear about group projects or when we strayed from subject in class discussion and lunch time drama. I'd tell him I was the most popular girl in school and everyone loved me, and he would just be so stupidly giddy."

Marinette frowned. What a strange boy. If he was a friend of Chloe's that didn't go to school, that meant he'd have to be a rich kid with tutors, right? Why couldn't he go to those other places?

"And I'd have to remember if he wasn't so desperately lonely, a kind boy like him wouldn't want to hang around me," Chloe muttered, a hand moving up to rub at her eyes, staring at the table.

The admission is like a punch to the gut and suddenly things take a different tilt. Was it...was it he wasn't allowed around other kids? "I'm sure there's plenty of reasons people would want to hang around you...?" Marinette said uncertainly.

Chloe let out a bark of laughter. "That's rich, coming from you," she said, a bit of her usual Chloe sneer on her face as she looked at Marinette. Which slowly faded. "He'd have liked you," she said. "He'd have liked everyone, but he'd really like you. Always playing goody goody and earnest and that weirdo would have probably thought your bad luck was cute," she huffed, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at the blackboard. "I planned to make you mad when he finally came so he'd think you were some crazy harpy."

"Wh-you were going to what?!" Marinette squawked, looking offended.

Chloe scoffed and waved her hand dismissively. "You have plenty of friends! You didn't need him, and there were more than enough people he could make friends with. Who wants one of their dear friends to be friends with their enemy?"

"Chloe, that still doesn't make it right," Marinette grumped at her.

"It's not like it matters! Even after all that work...his father refused to enroll him, but I was able to convince the principal to make some exceptions." Marinette was pretty sure that meant threaten the principal with her father. "He just had to ditch the bodyguard and the nanny and he'd get what he wanted! He was going to go to school. He was going to make his friends, and be 'normal' and probably live out some weird fantasy he made up from watching too much high school drama on TV. He was....he was going to stop having those sad eyes everytime he asked me about school, wasn't fair h-how he had such n-natural p-puppy dog eyes..." Chloe said, her forced annoyance fading as her voice got thick, tears falling down her face.

"Chloe..." Marinette said softly. "Why...why can't he? Maybe you could convince his father?"

Chloe shook her head, bowing her head. "You're being moronic. You think a person w-would ever stop C-Chloe Bourgeois?" She said, rubbing more determinedly at her eyes. "He's the boy who died yesterday. Stupid Mister Agreste, if he had just let Adrien _come to school_ , then he would have been safe. He'd have been safe and happy a-and I'd have made him happy and he'd finally s-smile like he did years ago before....before..." A sob escaped her, wrapping her arms around herself.

For a few moments, Marinette forgets to breathe. The boy. The boy who died yesterday. Who Chloe, of all people, cared about so much she was utterly wrecked. A boy who was so lonely to get actual sympathy out of the meanest girl Marinette has ever known. Who wanted to have friends, who had sad eyes when he heard about school, who Chloe said would have liked Marinette, and if Chloe was willing to admit something like that, there had to be something real to her pity.

Marinette finally manages to breathe, her own stuttering, before she reaches out, wraps her arms around Chloe, and pulls her into a hug. For a moment, the other girl is tense, and she's ready to be pushed away.

Instead she let another sob escape her and she clung to Marinette.

A boy so kind and sad and loved by this girl who Marinette had never been sure knew how to love was now dead. Because she was too slow.

For a moment, she thinks it's proof. That she's not good enough.

Then the next, she imagines Alya in her place, dealing with this pain. She sees Alya having to learn how dangerous the Akuma could be because she failed someone. How could she force Alya to learn that? How could she not fight when she knew exactly what the stakes were. For that boy. For Adrien Agreste, she would fight. So no one else had to suffer his fate. She wouldn't let it happen ever again.

But for now, she would stay here, and hug the girl who suffered the consequences of her failure.

~~~

Nooroo is not surprised that Gabriel Agreste found him while looking for a solution. The butterfly Miraculous is supposed to grant power to those who have wishes they want to fulfill. However, it wasn't so obvious that his power had limitations. He simply wasn't strong enough to do what the man wanted. He could only grant power to those who were already able, in a sense. Champion forms could not be made from a simple wish, but from some aspect of the person themselves. Artists were the ones who could bring things to life. Leaders could turn those to their cause. A champion form was some representation of the person, in one sense or another.

Bringing back the dead was not really something that could be given. People could heal, delay, prevent, drag back from the very edge, but no one could bring back what was truly, and thoroughly dead.

No one human, anyway.

But sometimes. Sometimes there are loopholes. And Nooroo can hear wishes.

I want my son back.

I don't want to lose him.

I wish I could have saved him.

I never wanted to hurt him.

And. A soft voice. Faint. Barely there.

I want to be free.

Then a slumbering voice.

I want to meet my chosen.

With enough wishes, and with another to provide power, Nooroo can grant impossible wishes.

When Gabriel Agreste transforms, more determined than ever to get the Miraculous, thoughts of his son and wife burn in his mind. Along with the guilt, the self hatred at his failure to protect, and the transformation distracts him as he attempts to gain control of himself.

Just enough for Nooroo to snatch a butterfly and send it on it's way, white with just a tinge of purple.

~~~

One week after Stoneheart, Chat Noir opens his eyes to see the blue sky above him.


	2. Fear Of What Is Misunderstood Often Gets Out Of Hand

It wasn't fair.

Mylene used to be terrified of Ivan. He was big and he was either very quiet, or very loud. He had a temper too and loved to yell, and it'd always scare her. She thought maybe he liked intimidating people, or catching them by surprise.

Except then she learned the truth.

She had started her colorful hair style a year ago. She had been so nervous about it, afraid to make herself stand out, but her father had encouraged her. She loved colors, and she always loved dying her friend's hair. It had taken weeks to get her nerve for it, but she did and at first, it went well! A lot of people complimented her new hair style and it's beautiful colors.  
Until a group of girls cornered her at lunch. Told her off for showing off. Wondering if she thought she'd make more friends with that eye sore of a hair style.

Ivan had been the one to interfere. He never threw a punch, though she could see with his fists clenched that he was tempted. Instead he shouted and told them off, that her hair was beautiful, and they were just jealous.

He didn't need to do more, his sudden appearance enough to scare the girls off.

Then he turned to her, and spoke softer than she could remember. Asking if she was okay. If she wanted him to get her lunch or bring her to the nurse's office. Mylene said no, that she was fine, but thanked him for his kindness. He gave her perhaps the most adorable smile she's ever seen and said he meant it. That her hair was beautiful and he hoped she kept the style. It was the first time she realized that Ivan wasn't trying to be scary. She watched him and realized he was just very awkward, but in a cute way when he wasn't being scary. Sometimes he still scared her, and she hated it, but she knew the truth. Ivan was kind. Maybe angry and protective, but undeniably kind.

He didn't deserve this.

He didn't deserve the paranoid whispers. That wondered what kind of monster was he, to rampage like that, to kill someone. How he should be locked up in a dark hole instead of under house arrest until the police figured out what to do in this situation. It's not as if magic and monsters were an entirely new concept, everyone knew about heroes around the world. It just wasn't common enough to have a protocol and certainly not something that had happened in Paris in recent history.

Everyone ignored how it tore him up. How everytime she visited, he was curled up in his bed. How his eyes were red and puffy, even if he refused to cry in front of her. She didn't give up though. She'd visit, bring him homework, talk to him about movies, new performances his father was doing, even picked up one of those metal cds he liked. It seemed to be working. At least he had finally left his room to make lunch with her.

Except, between the time she had come into the house, and by the time they went to the kitchen, someone had spelled out 'Monster' on his front lawn in red paint. He didn't say anything, just got very quiet, and returned to his room without a word, locking her out.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair, it wasn't fair. He couldn't remember. He did things he wouldn't normally. It was whatever the magic was, but everyone blamed Ivan and IT WASN'T FAIR!

Mylene never noticed the butterfly landing on her bandanna.

_"If you think it's unfair, perhaps you'd like to show them what they should really be afraid of?"_

~~~

The next week was rough for everyone. Ivan's absence was not something they could ignore, nor the state of despair Chloe was in. After she had sobbed on Marinette for a good twenty minutes, none of her usual energy returned. Chloe refused to move from the seat and Nino decided to switch places with Sabrina. He was just supposed to be in the front, he said, didn't matter where. It was better Chloe had a friend with her.

Sabrina stayed close, and Marinette would often go out of her way as well. Offering Chloe cookies, or tissues, or even help with her make up when she made attempts to wear it after the third day. She never got rid of the white overshirt, though she was keeping it clean. It didn't take long to figure out the shirt probably belonged to Adrien.

After the fifth day, Sabrina took her picture and told Marinette if she ever wanted or needed to come over, the doorman would let her up to see Chloe. Marinette was surprised, but she said she would visit. She was never sure when, but decided Sunday might be good. If Chloe hadn't been out that weekend, she could try dragging her somewhere. With how "outgoing" Chloe was, she wasn't sure being cooped up was what she needed.

Alya, who had made her distaste of Chloe obvious at the start, was sympathetic. The whole class was. They may not have ever met this Adrien guy, but they all agreed that he was important to Chloe, and she didn't deserve to lose him like she did. None really knew how to approach, and really it was just Marinette, Rose, and Juleka who tried. Everyone kept a respectful distance, but Alya had said this proved how kind Marinette was. That she could comfort someone who had bullied her so.

Marinette just said that Chloe didn't have a lot of people to help besides Sabrina. It seemed like the right thing to do.

Alya still insisted on the compliment, and while she didn't comfort Chloe, she turned her eyes on what happened. Dug for as many hints and clues as she could. She learned about Kim teasing Ivan. She learned from Sabrina that her father had mentioned about some black butterfly rocketing away from Ivan before he changed back. That the change had been maybe ten seconds after the scream of impact.

There had been rumors of some red figure on the rooftop nearby.

That a red figure has been seen running the rooftops at night. Marinette made no comment. She didn't have a way to explain the corruption yet. And she certainly wasn't ready to admit she was the red figure.

Since that day, she's been training. She's been practicing with her yo-yo, and her enhanced natural skills. She even practiced with the lucky charm, as much as she could. Tikki said she needed a goal and a selfish goal would just drain her power faster. It made her practice harder, since most of the practice end up being partially selfish since there was no true 'need,' but she still did it. It was better to be prepared than not.

And Tikki explained the cure. The cure would fix things, return damage done in a fight she's involved with. That was the problem with Stoneheart. Stoneheart had been released before she had even taken part. There was no way to attach her luck, her powers to the situation. The Cure couldn't just be a blanket fix, that would be too much for them to handle, so it was necessary she was involved in the cause of damages.

Luckily since she was needed to purify the Akuma, she would always be involved in an Akuma fight, so long as it wasn't released by the one who had Nooroo.

Marinette asked if she could have revived Adrien, if she had been able to fight Stoneheart.

Tikki had been silent at first.

"It is hard to say. It's easy to fix property damage. To undo curses, heal injuries. Death is a whole other matter. To bring back the dead is a great deal harder. It's not impossible, but the Cure wouldn't be able to fix everything else that's happened. The longer the person's been dead, the more energy needed to bring them back, and the less likely it will be a full recovery. You may have been able to return his life. He would have likely gone to the hospital to not pass on again. There was a chance. But it's not something we should ever take for granted."  
Marinette had nodded. No matter what, then, she couldn't let anyone else died. There was a safety net, but it was small, and she couldn't fail like that again.

Though as time passed, Tikki started to worry. She said there should have been a partner. Her other half. She's never supposed to be out on her own, but it worries her they've seen neither hide nor hair of her other.

"Maybe they're just staying under the radar like me until the enemy makes a move?" Marinette suggested.

Tikki had shaken her head. "No. Plagg's never been the best at discretion, and even if his chosen was, he would have insisted on seeking us out. He would feel how often you've transformed."  
"Does he worry that much?" Marinette asked.

Tikki had laughed at that. "Oh, hardly. That silly cat doesn't like worrying at all," she said and her smile turned soft. Fond. "But he is protective."

"Protective?" Marinette said questioningly.

Tikki nodded. "Of me. And his chosen. No matter the circumstances, or the rush, the one thing his chosens always know about is about the partner. He knows the best protection is for us to be together."

"And that's why it's odd he hasn't approached?" She asked, holding out a cookie for Tikki.

Tikki took the cookie. "Yes. I haven't even felt him transform. Usually if his chosen is hesitant, he finds a way to trick them into saying what they need to. I don't know why he hasn't. It might be the chosen just hasn't noticed him yet. Bad luck is his forte, it's not unreasonable his chosen went on vacation right when he was dropped off."

Marinette giggled at that, imagining something like Tikki, but cattish, being squished in a box, waiting for someone to open it.

"I'm sure we'll see them soon!" Tikki chirped and hoped her enthusiasm was warranted.

"I hope so too," Marinette said, turning to her homework when her phone started to ring. She jumped, staring at it before picking it up. She groaned. She knew that name. Still, she answered the call, putting the phone to her ear. "Hello Mis-" She started when suddenly Nadja Chamack's voice interrupted her.

"Is Manon there?!" She asked, frantic.

"Manon? N-no, why would she-?" Marinette started and was interrupted by a broken sob.

"No, no, no, this can't be real. I-I have to call everyone else, she has to be-" The line suddenly went dead.

Marinette stared at the phone in surprise and then she was on her feet. "Tikki, spots on!" She didn't know if it was another Akuma. But she knew little Manon was gone and from her mother's reaction, it wasn't something good.

It was better she was prepared than not.

~~~

Elsewhere, Nadja was not the only one frantic. She couldn't even be concerned with how her shoulder burned, how there was a tear in her clothes from fangs. She had gotten a ransom about someone taking her daughter, and nothing else mattered.

There was another, who found himself on a roof with no way down.

Another being chased by a pack of dogs.

More and more screams filled the air, people calling for help, but none coming as anyone who moves to try finds a dark figure jumping on them, biting them, and before they could fully register what's happened, their greatest fear is in their face.

On the rooftops, a figure watched the chaos unfolding with reptilian eyes, scales running along her face, slowly fanning out in bright colors in the vain of the feathered tree snake. The scales continued down her body, an array of colors, glittering in the light, partially covered by a pink cloak.

She watched the city below with narrowed eyes, a sly smirk spreading across her face.

"It really is a shame. Such beautiful colors shouldn't go with someone causing such terror."

The Akuma whipped around, crouched low, a rattling sound escaping from her throat. Her eyes narrowed on the boy before her, leaning on a metal rod on top of the doorway to the roof. "Who-" A whisper of the black cat in her ear. "Why couldn't I smell you?"

The boy tilted his head, cat ears on his head flicking idly. "Smell? Why, I'm offended, mademoselle. Don't you know us cats are very hygienic?"

She hissed again. "I'm the Scarepent! I know when there's fear!" She snapped, approaching him. And yet. Yet she could smell no fear from the boy. Was it because of this Miraculous Hawk Moth wanted? At least that's what the man was telling her about now. The ring. She needed the ring and she'd be able to show the world that Ivan wasn't a monster at all. That there was far worse out there.

"Scarepent? Well, A for Effort, I suppawse," the boy said with a shrug and ducking under her at the lunge.

"Ssstay ssstill, you annoying cat!" The snake girl hissed.

The boy sighed, slumping his shoulders. "And here I thought you would avoid that cliche. How pawful," he moaned. That just made the girl angrier and she lunged at him again. He laughs and pole vaults to the next building and proceeds to lead the Akuma on a game of cat and house.

High and low he'd go, amongst the people and away, but making sure to throw a taunt and pun whenever the Scarepent's rage seems to wane. Yet he would do nothing else, to the confusion of the people who remained unbitten.

Unfortunately, in turning a corner, he nearly runs over a child and a mother. The woman kept calling a name. "Manon! Manon, where are you!"

"Mama, I'm right here!" The child cried, but it seemed the woman was unable to see her.

He glanced back at the Akuma hot on his tail, and the two in his path who would likely be in the Akuma's path. The woman is affected, the child is not, and they could get hurt by quite a lot of pure reptilian muscle.

He grabbed them and jumped, across the street, where someone had noticed what was going on and opened the door. He's grateful, passing off the shrieking woman and child, and ready to bolt away when he's suddenly barreled down by quite a lot of Scarepent.

"I have you now, ssssscaredy cat!" The Akuma hissed.

"Oh, good one!" he said.

The Akuma hissed, opening her mouth wide, ready to bite down when there's suddenly a red blur slamming into her, sending the Akuma flying.

He's on his feet, a rush of relief and affection flooding through him. "Ti-partner!" he cried, seeing the red and black spots between him and the Scarepent.

The girl looked over, surprised. "Who-" She paused, looking him over, focusing on the cat ears. "Are you...my partner?" She asked.

He beamed and bowed. "Chat Noir, at your service, Bugaboo!" He said happily.

"Ssssstop with the punssss!" Scarepent roared, pushing herself to her feet, glaring at the two.

"Be careful of her bite, buggy," Chat Noir said, moving over to stand beside the other. "It's putting everyone into a fear trance. Also does that hiss cliche when mad."

"Got it," she said, turning to look at the girl.

"I'm ssshowing them what real fear is!" Scarepent growled. "If they want to treat innocent boysss as monsssstersss, then they don't know what it'sss like to be really sssscared!"

The girl's eyes widened as the words registered, her eyes moving over the cloak. She knew that pattern. No, it couldn't be.

"M-Mylene?!"

"Someone you know, bug girl?" Chat asked, looking at her in surprise.

"She...she's close to Ivan, the boy who turned into a mon-"

"HE'SSSS NOT A MONSSSTER!" Scarepent roared and pointed an accusing finger at them. "If you have just come out like you were sssssuppossssed to, he wouldn't have been usssssed to hurt that boy! Ivan isssssn't a monsssster and I'm not Mylene! I'm Ssssscarepent and I'm going to give Parissss something else to fear!" She declared and lunged forward, mouth wide.  
The girl had been stunned. Mylene. Sweet, caring Mylene, turned into a monster because of Ivan's treatement. The treatment he's getting because of HER failure. And for a moment she thought she'd deserve it.

She's made Ivan's life hell, so why shouldn't she suffer in her own worst fears?

And a moment is all it took for it to be too late for her to move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So maybe starting a writing project before a vacation and a move wasn't a good idea. Live and learn!
> 
> I still intend to continue this, however. I have a lot ideas on how things work with Chat Noir as he is. Not to mention the Akuma's! With Chloe out of the picture for a while, a great deal of them will need a change in focus and ability. Though I hope to retain the core element of their Akuma form, as seen in Mylene still being a fear Akuma.


	3. Fear Is Easy With Two

A moment too late for her, but not too late for the sudden black blur that knocks her off her feet. There's a grunt of pain, and a stutter in momentum. A second stutter and then Chat Noir is kicking off the ground towards the rooftops.

  
"Yo-yo, Bugaboo, yo-yo now!" Chat gasped and she reacted. Her arm wrapped around the cat boy and she shot out her yo-yo to the nearest building's chimney, bringing them up. They land, Chat stumbling as his hold tightens on her. "It's not real, it's not-keep going, I can't see-!"

  
She feels panic for a moment, _why can't he see,_ but she does as she's told, pulling back the yo-yo and throwing it again. Again and again, deciding whatever is wrong required a few moments to regroup. She needed to lose the Scarepent. Luckily, it's not too difficult. While the Akuma is fast on land, the jumps are slower, and with her yo-yo, she can gain distance quickly. She spots a roof with enough air conditioning units and chimneys to act as cover as she finally lands.

  
All the while, the boy keeps repeating the same thing. "It's not real, it's not real." It's a desperate mantra, his hold on her tight, and she's worried, scared, not sure what's happening to her partner. It's when she lands though, that his words finally change. "I need to see," he said.

"I'm not sure how I'm supposed to help," she said, gently putting him down and finally looking him over, hoping to see what was wrong, even as he continued on.

"It doesn't matter, will I be able to do what I need to?!" Chat Noir snapped. It's then that she can see it. Chat Noir's eyes are open wide, pupil's dilated, but he wasn't focusing on her. He wasn't focused on anything. It's like he said, he couldn't see anything. But why? Her eyes roamed over him, seeing if there was damage or blood, he couldn't have been hit in the head, so what-

Her eyes finally landed on his leg. Or his ankle. The thing is, Tikki explained the suits. She said they were indestructible by normal means. Spells, however, could get through them. As well as severe enough impact, but it was spells to be most concerned with and now she could see it. The marks in the fabric. It didn't penetrate, she couldn't see skin or anything, but apparently it didn't need to actually touch skin to take affect.

He'd been bitten by the Scarepent and now he was trapped in his worst fears.

"Then do it and let me see!" Chat Noir snapped.

"I don't know how!" she said, wondering what her partner could be demanding of her. Except when she looked up, she saw his eyes finally focusing on her. And then the surprised shock and horror on his face, jerking back. "Are you okay?!" Chat squawked.

She looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "Am I-shouldn't I be asking you that?!"

  
Chat hesitated and he reached out for her hand. He lifted it up, pressing her arm against his cheek. It was such a bizarre move that she had no time to react before he spoke again. "I can still feel right."

  
"What." 

"The fear effect. I can still feel what's really there. At least if I'm thinking on it. Might not work if you're fully in the illusion, but it's something," Chat said.

"What are-are you okay? Can you...you said you couldn't see?" She said, looking him over with worry, wondering what in the world she missed. How did he go from blind to doing tests on illusions?

  
"I couldn't. I...found a work around, I guess, but it's probably not going to work with you," Chat said with a shrug. "I can see now. I can help with the Scarepent," he added. Yet he seemed inclined to look just to the side of her, almost as if he was afraid to look at her. "We need a game plan, Bugaboo."

  
"Stop calling me Bugaboo," she finally said, irritation in her voice at having a silly nickname when she had been scared silly for him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

  
Chat Noir nodded. "As okay as I'm going to be. Sorry, but it was made very clear you needed to stay up for the purification," he said and paused. "What should I call you?"

She paused. That was a good question. "Well, you're Chat Noir. I guess I can be Ladybug?"

"Then it's a purrleasure to meet you, My Lady," Chat said with a grin and a half bow from his sitting position.

  
Ladybug giggled at the bow. It was just so over the top and it didn't suit the situation at all. They still had an Akuma running rampant and Chat was suffering some fear affect even if he was putting on a spectacular brave face. But the motion was funny and it helped strangely, that fear and tension in Ladybug's heart finally loosened. She took a deep breath and got to her feet. "Right!" She said. "I think the Akuma must be in the cloak. She's not wearing anything else it could be."

  
Chat pushed himself to his feet. "So we need the cloak. Just destroy it, right?"

Ladybug nodded. "That should release the Akuma and I'll be able to purify it."

"What happens if you don't anyway?" Chat asked.

"The Akuma will-" Ladybug started when a scream floated up from a nearby street. "Later. We need to go!"

Chat nodded and they turned back towards where the Scarepent surely was. They stuck to the rooftops until they got to where the screaming was coming from, sticking close to the shadows until they could spot the reptilian girl. She was just pulling away from her newest victim and the last unaffected in the street. Everyone was acting as if blind, running from things that weren't there, or hiding against walls.

"Where are you! You two can't be that far!" Scarepent shouted.

"I think now is time for your power," Chat whispered.

Ladybug nodded, stepping back as Chat kept an eye on the Scarepent. She called for Lucky Charm, catching the item, relieved when there wasn't an immediate shrill beeping. Finally, not selfish. She inspected the spotted item as she moved back over to the ledge, watching with Chat as the Scarepent started moving around, sniffing the air.

  
"A CD? What are you supposed to with that?" Chat asked.

"I'm thinking," Ladybug said, looking around.

"Might want to be faster. She's starting to catch our scent," Chat said as the Akuma drifted towards them, snout moving up and up and up-

"You-!" Scarepent shouted as she spotted them.

"I need to you to destroy that window!" Ladybug shouted, pointing to a store as she flung out her Yo-yo across the street.

"The window?! Well, if you're sure!" Chat said, bewildered, but jumping down. He knew what she said, but he could also read what hadn't been said. Ladybug didn't move to the ground immediately, so he guessed he was supposed to be down here as a distraction. He might be annoyed with him essentially following orders, but he found he didn't mind it so much in this circumstance. "Hey, lizard girl, we meet again!"

"I'm a sssserpent!" Scarepent hissed.

"Nuh uh, a serpent has no limbs. Lizards do, like you~" Chat called, dodging out of the way of the Scarepent's swipes and lash of her tail. He led her closer to the shop as they continuedtheir game of cat and mouse, Chat Noir feeling free to take more risks. He'd already been bitten, might as well let her close and be a better distraction. He dodged and weaved through her limbs, throwing out taunts and jeers, moving closer and closer to the shop, only taking a big leap as he hit the sidewalk.

The dark energy sprung up to his finger tips as he laughed at Scarepent's attempt led her right into tripping over a bench. He them pressed his palm to the glass, the music store's window cracking and falling to pieces.

"Time to turn it up!" Ladybug called, standing at the display in the window, inserting the CD into the boombox she'd connected to the amps and pressed play.

Death Metal suddenly blared out from the window. Chat fell over, covering his ears at the sudden loud music, an unfortunate consequence Ladybug would apologize for later, but what was important was how the music froze the Scarepent, making her curl up instinctively, hands moving over her ears. An instinctive fear of Mylene, the sudden loud screaming. And a few extra seconds where Ladybug can see the pain, the reminder that this was IVAN'S music, but it was time she needed to dash forward and rip off the cloak. Scarepent cried out too late as Ladybug store it apart and released the butterfly. 

With a spin and a flick, Ladybug caught the butterfly. "Gotcha!" She watched as the dark energy washed over Mylene, returning her to normal as she opened the compact and saw the white butterfly fly up. "Bye bye, little butterfly," she said.

"Where...where am I?" Mylene said, looking around in confusion.

Ladybug moved over to Mylene and offered her a hand up. "I'm afraid the same thing that happened to Ivan happened to you," she said.

"Wha...what do you-" Mylene started.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" A voice declared to the surprise of all.

Ladybug looked over, seeing Alya and Nino, standing in the music store. Apparently they had been among the number hiding there, and there was Alya, holding out her phone. "Al-aaah, you were filming that?" She asked.

"Of course I was! That was amazing! How you took down the Scarepent, and what you and the other guy were capable of doing and how you released Mylene from that evil spell!" Alya said, almost climbing out through the window, but stopped by Nino pulling her out the door as she talked to avoid the glass.

The sudden filming was unexpected and kind of nerve wracking for Marinette, but Ladybug saw what Alya was doing. The leading question, the fact she was still filming. "That's right," she said, putting a hand on Mylene's shoulder. "There is an evil villain out there, putting innocent people under a spell. Ivan and Mylene were just unfortunate victims, but now Chat Noir and Ladybug are here to stop them," she said, before letting go of Mylene and heading for the music display where Chat Noir was getting up, still rubbing his ears.  
"So you're Paris' new superheroes?" Alya asked.

Ladybug retrieved the CD and looked at her with her most confident smile. "Yes," she said and threw up the CD. She jumped out of the window as the Ladybug's swarmed, returning everyone to normal along with the damages they caused.

  
Then there was the beep from her earrings.

"Can I have an inte-" Alya started.

"I'm afraid we need to cut this short. I'm sure we can do an interview later, but we had a few other pressing matters before the attadck," Chat Noir said, putting a hand on Ladybug's shoulder. "Right, Ladybug?"

"Yes, that's right!" Ladybug said. "Another time."

"Oh. Are you sure not even for a few questions?" Alya asked hopefully.

  
"We're sure. Sorry," Ladybug said, shooting out her yo-yo as Chat extended his baton and they escaped to the rooftops.

"Are you okay, Chat?" Ladybug asked once they were out of sight.

Chat nodded. "I can see an everything! Don't worry about me," he insisted. He paused and looked at her. "How should we...I mean..." There was another beep from Ladybug's earrings and he shook his head. "Go on. Get home," he said. "See you later, Bugaboo," he added with a salute.

Ladybug sighed and rolled her eyes. "Don't call me Bugaboo!" She called after him.

~ ~ ~

"What do you think of Chat Noir?" Tikki asked.

"He seems really nice. He trusted me a lot, though..." Marinette trailed off.

"Yes?"

"He was very good at hiding his fear," she said. "That is good for a hero, but his first day on the job, it means he learned it in his regular life, right?"

"That's right," Tikki agreed.

"I wonder what it's like," Marinette murmured.

Tikki was silent a few moments. "It may be best to not share your identities," she finally said. "It's highly unlikely he'll become Akumatized, but if he removes his Miraculous, it would make him vulnerable."

Marinette pondered this for a few moments before nodding. "Okay."

What Tikki didn't say is she doesn't know why Chat Noir's Miraculous never beeped. Or why he could call Plagg's power wordlessly.  
~ ~ ~  
The news played Alya's footage for the next few days. They reported questions and theories. They wondered how valid it was that neither Ivan nor Mylene were to be held accountable. They were to be under house arrest for the moment, but there was leaning to listen to the heroes.

They wondered about the heroes, if they were good enough, who they were.

Then the question; if Ladybug had been during the first attack, would the boy have been fixed like the property damage this time?

There was a crash as TV screen broke after the remote impacted the surface.

Not satisfied with that destruction, the girl threw the lamp, a vase, pillows if only because they were in reach, and kicked over the table.

  
"Where were you?!" She screamed, storming towards the TV. "Why now?! Why are you here now, and not when he needed you?!" She demanded the picture of Ladybug on the screen. Her hands moved up, pulling with all her weight to rip the TV off it's mount and let it crash to the floor.

  
"Why couldn't you save him?!" She wailed, falling to her knees, burying her face in her hands as the sobs overtook her.

  
She never even noticed the butterfly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Ladybug's proclamation to the public is a bit more lackluster this time around. Marinette was ready for Akuma's, not so much the media. But really, an issue needs to be addressed for her to really make an impact, no?
> 
> I may have also decided to use this story for Nano, since I do have a ton of ideas. Hopefully I'll be updating daily or at least every other day with something. Unfortunately, that does mean varying chapter lengths. But at least I know what the next two Akuma's are.
> 
> Next Time: So what the heck is up with Adrien anyway?


	4. Hearts Beating In Time

"It can't be healthy to eat this much cheese," Chat said as he cut away the wrapping on another block of cheese, pulling off chunks like he was taking apart cotton candy.

_"For a human, but if you forget, we're not human."_

"Still, you could diversify it a bit? Have you had pizza? I heard it's good," Chat said, leaning back against the counter from his spot on the floor. He didn't really like the fact he was stealing, but after the battle, he had felt a gnawing, relentless hunger and a growing weakness. Which led to him being here, in the school's cafeteria. It was the only place he could think of that had food and no one would be around.

 _"Feh, too much sauce,"_ said the voice in Adrien's head. Which was a whole other issue.

The thing is, Adrien remembered dying. He remembered seeing the car, he remember feeling the impact, the unimaginable pain for the minute before he fully succumbed to his injuries. He remembered taking his last breath. So he had been surprised, waking up on the roof of a random building. According to his current mental roommate, he had awoken first and decided it was better to be away from people to regroup.

Adrien, understandably, freaked out. Screamed, ranted, raved, wonder what had happened, and WHY WAS THEIR A VOICE IN HIS HEAD???

Honestly, Plagg, as was the voice's name, had been rather patient through all that. Something Adrien appreciated. He was willing to believe in magic. In superpowers and villains and all that. The whole coming back from the dead thing had been a bit much even for his 'annoyingly whimsical mind,' as Plagg put it.

Plagg explained the best he could then. He said Adrien had been chosen to be his wielder prior to his death. There was supposed to be a whole transformation and secret identity thing, but after Plagg was delivered, presumably, Adrien got curious and, well, he was apparently perfect for a cat. It was amusing in a very morbid way.

Technically Plagg should have been retrieved and given to a new wielder. The Guardian had apparently been unable to retrieve him since it had been a week since Adrien's death. Adrien was unsurprised. He can only imagine how much of a media storm there must have been around the house after his demise and it had only been Adrien's intimate knowledge of all the ways in and out that let Plagg get away seemingly without incident. Something Plagg was apparently able to access while Adrien's mind adjusted to not being dead.

Which was vaguely disturbing.

But then came the other issues. Plagg said whatever happened, this wasn't normal. He knew there was other magic involved, he could feel it, but he wasn't sure what or how. He did know it was feeding on his own power, which made sense. Reviving the dead wasn't an easy feat and whatever happened, probably only did because Plagg was tied to destruction and the death of all things.

The voice was new. Sure, kwami's could put a bit of influence and emotional and mental bolstering, but the full on telepathic communication wasn't normal and the fact he COULD control Adrien's body shouldn't have been possible at all. When they discovered Adrien could go intangible, Plagg said that was only supposed to be kwami's, not the wielders. Then Adrien tried to take off the ring. It had only loosened on his finger when he just collapsed like a rag doll, pain rolling through his body like when he had been crushed. Plagg had taken control then, forcing the ring firmly back on his finger.

They were fused together, Plagg said. Adrien was afforded extra abilities and communication, but it was because Plagg wasn't just a suit and magical influence. They were two people who were in the same body.

Adrien still wasn't sure how to feel about that. He's pretty sure he's still in shock on some level.

But the Akuma came, Plagg explained what he needed to do, and saving the day had sounded like an excellent distraction. Plagg was able to help and direct him on what he needed to do and about his partner. Ladybug. And Tikki. His partner and Plagg's other half. There had been some concern when he used Catacalysm, but Adrien and Plagg both agreed that it was better to know the consequences sooner rather than later. It had been a rush of understanding. In this scenario, Plagg was the sword and shield to Tikki's repairing. They had to know if Chat Noir could use the full blade before there was a situation where they would need it.

  
To not risk their partners. And to make it easier on Plagg if Adrien was destined to die as soon as it became necessary.

Luckily he was able to use it. It was just the hunger that hit Plagg hit Chat Noir instead, which lead to their breaking into a cafetria.

"I just realized. I wasn't hungry before I used the power. It's been a day, but I haven't needed to eat or use the bathroom or anything," Chat said.

_"You're magical, kid. No more of that gross human stuff needed. Food just turns into energy. You can still enjoy it though. Especially Camembert!"_

"I have a feeling you're really not going to let go of the cheese thing. What about sleep?" Chat asked.

_"That you will need to do. Kwami sleep. It'll be less disastrous for you to get little sleep, but if you try going days without it, we're gonna hit the ground."_

"Duly noted," Chat said before finishing the last of the block and finally feeling full. He sighed, letting his head rest against the counter. "....hey. You okay?"

 _"..."_ Plagg didn't need to ask what Adrien meant. He could sense it.

"C'mon. My fear was just being stuck in a box, but yours....that was pretty bad," Adrien said softly.

_"That was hardly 'stuck in a box'."_

No, it hadn't been. It had been in complete isolation. Completely alone, unable to escape, unable to reach anyone. Just alone as emptiness ate away at him from the inside. "You're evading the question." Save for the voice that had been in his head.

 _"...I'm fine, kid. I know it wasn't real. We've had close calls. What matters is she was fine,"_ Plagg said, his voice soft, tired.

After taking the bite, Chat Noir had only seen the box. He couldn't see, he couldn't help, he couldn't hear anyone besides Plagg. All he had was the feeling of motion from Ladybug. Which made him useless. Plagg, reluctantly, offered to switch. To see if they could work under his fear.

Plagg forced the magic onto him and Chat had been greeted to the sight of Ladybug, bloody and pale and looking half dead, her suit shredded, and earrings cracked. He could still hear the girl underneath, because in the end, Plagg's fear hadn't been about her. Her state had been a 'natural consequence.' It was what the destruction of the suit and earrings had meant for Tikki.  
The fact Chat could feel suit where he had seen skin had been enough to keep them together. Plagg was excellent at ignoring bad things, and Adrien had always been an excellent compartmentalizer.

"...if you're sure. You know I'm here for you though, right?"

Plagg chuckled. _"Kid, you literally can't not be here for me."_

"Exactly! We're a purrfect paw-ir!"

_"...you're not going to stop with the puns, are you?"_

"What? I think they're meowrvelous."

_"I guess they could be worse."_

"That's the spirit," Chat said, pushing himself to his feet. He gathered up the plastic wrap, phasing through the back door to throw them into the dumpster. "Well, food's settled. I guess...it's time to find a place to squat?"

_"What? No talking about finding your loved ones?"_

Chat hesitated. He did want to go to them. His father, Chloe, Nathalie and the Gorilla too. "...I can't take off the suit," he said, a melancholic smile on his face. "Saying I'm Adrien back from the dead just paints a target on their back with the enemy, right? If they don't think I'm crazy."

 _"'fraid so, kid,"_ Plagg said, in that soft, tired voice he had used before.

"Then...what I need to focus on is how I'm going to move on from here. Place to sleep, how to get money so I don't have to keep stealing food, stuff like that," Chat said.

_"Somewhere high. Less riff raff and cats dominate the high ground."_

"Got it!"

For all that everything is a mixed bag, from having died and being bound in a seemingly leather cat suit, to not being dead and now a superhero, Adrien can't deny how much he loves freely dashing across the rooftops of Paris.

~ ~ ~  
On Friday, the reports changed from being about Ladybug and Chat Noir. The heroes were still featured, mixed in with rumors of regularly seeing Chat Noir on the rooftops. Supposedly, as a dark figure was hardly ironclad proof.

But on Friday, every news outlet was reporting about the disappearance of Chloe Bourgeois. She had disappeared the night before and no one had found her in the morning. The Mayor had every news station and police officer looking for her. Marinette had joined the search along with most of the class. They went to every mall, spa, and luxury place there was just trying to find her to no avail.

In the evening, Ladybug looked around.

"My Lady?"

Ladybug looked away from the ground, scanning from one of the taller buildings in the area with her compact's zoom. "Chat Noir? What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for the Mayor's daughter. She's missing," he said, tail flicking side to side nervously as he walked up beside her, looking down at the street. "But I assume you knew?"

Ladybug nodded. "I was looking for her too. Apparently every hang out she usually goes to hasn't panned out."

"Yeah, I know," Chat murmured quietly.

Ladybug looked at him thoughtfully. Before, he had been full of humor and jokes, while even under the fear affect. But now...now he looked rattled. "Are you okay?"

"...I'm just worried about her. I've met her. She's not someone who can just go somewhere unnoticed," Chat said with a shrug.

"I know what you mean," Ladybug said, starting her scans again. Even in her despair, it was hard to not notice Chloe. Nothing about her was reserved and even if she didn't wail, the melancholy radiated from her.

"Do you know if there's been a ransom of anything?" Chat asked.

"I don't think so. The Mayor doesn't really want to talk to me, but that reporter, Alya? She's in her class. I've been able to get information from her," Ladybug said.

Chat frowned. "...you don't think it's the villain, do you?"

Ladybug hesitated. "I thought about it, but the Scarepent wanted our Miraculous. If she's a hostage, there'd be a demand, right?"

"She could have made someone mad? Akumatized someone?" Chat suggested.

"No," Ladybug said. Without a doubt, Marinette was sure Chloe would have made a hundred and one Akuma's before. But no? No, definitely not.

"Really? I was told any negative emotion could be used to make an Akuma. Chloe was really confrontational when I met her and everyone acted like it was normal," Chat said, looking up with surprise.

"....not lately," Ladybug said, eyes intent on her compact. "She was friends with that boy. Who...well, her classmates are surprised she makes it to class at all."

"Oh." Chat's voice was quiet, barely a whisper. When Ladybug finally glanced at him, he had returned to looking, an unreadable expression on his face.

"We should split up. Cover more ground," Ladybug said.

Chat nodded. "Yeah, good idea."

They could talk another time. For now, there was a girl to find.

~ ~ ~

On Saturday, the coverage over Chloe continued. But reports started to sneak in. About a third hero. Reports kept flooding in about a savior who same to them in their time of need.

What was strange was she called herself Antihero and she had spots and cat ears too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exposition chapter! A bit of what is going on with Adrien, how he works, and quite a bit of complications. Hobo Chat Noir is gonna be a thing.
> 
> And with the lesser impact of Ladybug's introduction to Paris, there's a more even spread of attention on the two heroes at the moment. Thus a difference for Chloe's own form.


	5. For Even In Cruelty, She Brought Out The Best In Them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.
> 
> Fuck November.
> 
> I will finish this one day, darn it.

"Thank you Miss Antihero!" The young girl said, holding her mother's hand and waving good-bye at the black and white blur returned to the rooftops.

Antihero gave a melancholy smile. The girl had been lost, crying for her mother and she was more than happy to help. The look of sheer joy on the mother's face along with the thank you's had warmed her heart. It was good to see a mother and child together. It had been a long time since she's really gotten to see something like that.

She shook her head. No, no, she had to focus. She wasn't a sad girl, she was a hero. She would show Paris. She would save everyone. There would be no more lost lives. Ladybug and Chat Noir were just late losers. She glanced down at herself, the black outfit with red spots, to go with the tail and ears. What really stood out was the white overjacket that led into clawed fingertips and wrist guards. She even looked like them.

She could do their job and better. She could do it on her own, see that they don't deserve their Miraculous, and maybe....

Maybe she'd make him proud.

"Just a little further, Alya!"

"Marinette, I'm not sure I can hold you much longer-"

"I'm sure I saw something yellow down here!"

Antihero stopped, looking down at two familiar girls. Alya was holding into Marinette's ankles and dangling her over a the side of a bridge which she seemed intent to look under. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. What was that girl even doing? She was going to fa-

And just like that, Alya lost her grip and Marinette screamed.

Antihero moved, kicking off the building, down, to the railing of the street on side of the Seine, pulling the pole off her back as she launched herself into the air. She caught Marinette just above the water, the pole splitting in two, one end shooting to a street lamp as the chain rapidly extended, pulling them to a halt just above the water.

"W-wha-" Marinette spluttered.

Antihero rolled her eyes. "What did you think was going to happen?" She asked.

"I...I thought I saw someone with blonde hair-" Marinette said, still flabbergasted, and pointing off to under the bridge. They both looked and-

"Meow."

A cat.

A golden cat.

Antihero huffed. "Of course you'd nearly drown in the Seine for a cat." She pressed a button on the nunchuck in her hand, pulling the two ends together and holding Marinette up for Alya to help her onto the bridge. She then lowered down, grabbing the cat and pulling herself onto the street.

Marinette was still doing her impression of a fish and Alya had a camera out. Maybe she really was serious about that journalist thing.

"Are you a new superhero?!" Alya asked. "Why does your costume look like Ladybug and Chat Noir's? Is your weapon magic? How does it have such a long chain?"

Antihero handed off the cat to Marinette and sniffed. "New? No, not new, I AM Paris' superhero. The only one they'll need. Ladybug and Chat Noir have already proven themselves incompetent fools before they even introduced themselves. I could hardly take that lying down."

"What-but they took down Scarepent! They fixed all the damage and everything," Alya said defensively.

"But they did nothing for Stoneheart and someone died, you call that competent when they don't even show up for their first enemy?!" Antihero hissed.

"Chloe?"

Alya and Antihero both looked at Marinette, who looked less flabbergasted as more...concern. And Antihero's anger cooled, as she remembered the kindness of this girl. If anyone was a hero, it was her, showing her enemy such gentleness.

"Not anymore," Antihero said and threw one end of her nunchuck out and returned to the rooftops.

On the streets, Alya and Marinette watched her leave.

"You don't think she got the same things as Ladybug and Chat Noir, do you?" Alya asked.

"No. No, I don't," Marinette said.

"So you think it's like Ivan and Mylene? But I've heard of her on the net. She's been doing good," Alya said. "Maybe it's better this way? If the villain is making people do good under the spell, maybe we can end this peacefully?"

"Maybe," Marinette said, but she seriously doubted it. "We should tell the others we found Chloe."

~ ~ ~

"Chloe's been Akumatized."

Chat felt as if a hole had opened up in his stomach. "What?"

Ladybug was scanning the city from their perch on the Eiffel Tower. "Chloe, the girl we've been looking for. She's been Akumatized into Antihero. Have you seen the video?" She asked and when Chat shook his head, Ladybug pulled up her compact. "One of her classmates put it on a personal blog," she said and showing him the video Alya had shown her earlier. "She's....she's mad that we couldn't save the boy."

Chat was grateful for so many years of keeping control of his expression, because the sight of Chloe angry, of Chloe having been possessed because of _him_ was incredibly touching, incredibly painful, and so much in between that it would surely give something away in his expression. Instead he keeps his face carefully neutral. "Hasn't Antihero been helping people?" He asked.

  
"She has, but I don't think it's a good idea to leave her like this," Ladybug said, closing her compact.

"Why not?"

"Because she'll never be able to move on like this," she said. "Tikki said Akuma's can't let go. Whatever Akumatized them...it's going to keep eating away at them. Even if it's possible to talk them down temporarily, they're eventually going to snap again."

Chat mulled that over. Never moving on, never letting go, constantly in mourning, and putting on a mask to separate yourself from the world because you can't. He didn't wish that on Chloe. Even if the alternative hurt, he's spent too long watching something like that destroy his father bit by bit. "All right. So we stop her."

Ladybug nodded and with that, they separated to find where she had gone.

~~~

It's Chat Noir who finds Antihero. It's just he found the fire first. He called Ladybug, but of course she's across the city at the time. He still goes forward, listening for sounds that aren't creaking wood and metal, going in via the roof even as fire fighters arrive on the scene. He's pulling out people, hearing how the fire started so quickly, how no one had time to get out.

(It would be later he learned about some idiot trying to make meth of all things in an _apartment_. The poor soul didn't survive the explosion.)

But Chat just focuses on getting people out to the fire fighters, or other buildings. There's smoke and ash making it hard to breathe and he's almost glad Ladybug isn't here as Plagg explains being magic was making it easier for him. His hair is near a dark grey and his skin red under soot, but he doesn't stop pulling people out of the building. At least until he's pulling a little girl out onto the roof and sees her.

Antihero.

There is a long, tense moment where the two stare at each other, until the child coughs, crying for her mother. They both look at her, their eyes meet. For a moment, the purple outline of a butterfly mask appears on Antihero's face.

"The deal was you make me a hero," she hissed. "Get the kid to her mom, you mangy cat!" She snapped and ran past him into the building.

Chat Noir buried his emotions and as Plagg cackled at the irony, worked with the Akumatized Victim to save all the people in the building. He could see the more Antihero went in, it was effecting her. While breathing was not strictly necessary for him thanks to Plagg, it was obvious Antihero wasn't afforded the same. And yet, she still runs inside, still drags people out, her own ears twitching and likely as sensitive as his. More than once, they work together to free people from places they were trapped in.

Chat Noir unaffected, and Antihero clearly suffering, but pushing through on pure determination.

There were injuries, terrible burns, but besides one person (the person who started the fire), all the bodies they brought out had been breathing. There were some people in critical condition, being rushed to the hospital, and they were told that their ability to get them out quickly would be the reason they might survived.

As the firefighters worked to contain the fire, the two of them stood to the side in tense silence. Both covered in soot and ash, practically twins in their ruined hair and darkened skin, the vibrant white on Antihero's suit a blotchy grey. Antihero was breathing heavily, but looking...satisfied. Chat Noir knew it'd only be minutes before Ladybug was there and Antihero would be easy to beat in this condition.

  
But there were still injured in the area, those who still needed to be ferried away, terrified children looking at Antihero and Chat Noir with adoration.

"We can't have a truce," Antihero said, voice rough and scratchy from the smoke.

"I know, but I'd rather not traumatize the children," Chat Noir said.

Neither looked at each other.

"Tonight. 11. The top of Notre Dame," Antihero said and turned, throwing out the nunchuck and swinging away.

Chat Noir watched her go, looking down around them. At the people they saved. "I'm sorry, Chlo," he murmured to himself and called Ladybug to make a plan.


End file.
